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End of grass clipping collection in Orillia

A user-pay grass clippings collection service will not be offered by the city.

“Certainly, they can be composted or mulched,” Coun. Paul Spears said during Monday’s council committee meeting. “I think by leaving them, they are sort of benefitting the grass anyways.”

When the formerly free service was cut from the 2013 budget, saving the city $47,300, Coun. Andrew Hill suggested a user-pay system.

Residents hoping to see their grass clippings collected could put a garbage tag on it, he said.

Each home and commercial establishment in Orillia receives 30 garbage tags each year. An additional five tags are available for $8.25.

Hill doesn’t want residents stockpiling their garbage tags.

When the city changed its garbage tag colour from orange to pink in late 2012, they exchanged over 83,000 unused garbage tags at an approximate cost of $150,000 in lost revenue.

“I believe this is a slippery slope and would suggest we again look at eliminating the garbage bag colour every couple of years without any exchange whatsoever or we may be entertaining doing away with leaf collection or Christmas tree collection in the future,” Hill said.

A majority of politicians turned down the user-pay grass clipping collection service at Monday’s council committee meeting.

Residents and businesses can bring their grass clippings to the Kitchener Street landfill site at no charge.